The ParaGard IUD: 6-Week Check-Up and Follow-Up

Again, I went in to my pre-scheduled 6-week check-up with Husband in tow. I wasn’t sure how in-depth this exam was going to be, so I figured if I went through THEPAIN again, my husband would be there to drive. Thankfully, it wasn’t THAT painful.

A nurse showed me in to the exam room and I answered a ton of questions regarding my experience this far with the IUD. She then relayed the information to the doc and to her computer. I ended up reiterating a bunch of it to the doc, but at least EVERYONE knew my problems, right? Always better to voice yourself too much than too little when it comes to health issues, I say.

Anyway… I got naked, got on a table and propped legs up in stirrups. The doc cranked open the little plastic duck-bill thing, and started looking for the strings. He asked me questions about the thick mucus-y discharge, the heavy periods, etc. And I answered, while he poked around with a long q-tip and another long shaft-like device.

I was trying to get some answers from him, and I felt an uncomfortable stab. I squirmed, asked what he was doing, and then got the low-down: he couldn’t see the strings.

No big deal, he said. Some women’s uteri twist and turn, sometimes pulling the IUD up to the point of the strings not being visible. But due to this being my first IUD and me not having had children before, he wanted me to get an UltraSound to make sure that bad boy was still in my uterus. Fine. I made an appointment for the following Monday and decided it wouldn’t be so bad.

It was bad though. I had in my mind an image of the ultrasounds of TVland. Where they rub some goo on your stomach, move a mouse-like device over it, and then show you a picture on the screen. No where in there did ANYONE or ANYTHING mention that I would have to personally shove a shaft-like device up my own vagina (at least it was amply covered in lube…) and have a tech take pictures from the inside. She complimented me and said I take great photos from the inside. I think this was supposed to help. It didn’t…but I’m far past the point of me being uncomfortable with these types of exams. I just went along with it, shrugged it off and went to work after (it took about 45 minutes total).

Two days later, the doc calls me with the news: My IUD is not in my uterus.

Excellent. Fucking excellent.

I now have to schedule an “abdominal flat plate” (x-ray) and he’ll review to make his final diagnosis: 1) The IUD expelled itself from my body (30% chance of this happening) and therefore nothing else needs to be done aside from me choosing a new birth control method! or 2) The IUD pushed itself out of my uterus and is currently floating in the goo that is my abdominal cavity. This last one requires surgery to remove, but, at this point, I’m not willing to cross anything off.

What I do know is that I will not be able to get an IUD. My body obviously doesn’t like it (even if I had nearly 6 weeks of not having to think about taking birth control OR being on hormones). I’ll be researching more birth control options now that I know I need one. Just frustrated and upset. And definitely rooting for the through-the-vagina-expulsion option over the other one.

The x-ray is happening tonight, and, due to the nature of my case, I will NOT hear from the x-ray tech about the results until the doc has time to review them. He’s off work today, so I’ll hear back first thing tomorrow (I hope).